Keep your health on track with an activity tracker

It might look like it's just sitting quietly on your wrist, but your activity tracker is working its magic. It tracks your sleep, counts your steps, monitors your heart rate, calculates your calorie burn and even says when it's time to stand up and move around. It converts these statistics into easy-to-read information that can be accessed on your PC or smartphone. The first activity trackers were heart-rate monitors designed for athletes in the early 1980s, followed by wristwatch style trackers for competitive cyclists in the 1990s. It was smartphone technology that saw the rapid development of the activity tracker bands we wear today.

How does an activity tracker work?

In their simplest forms, activity trackers measure motion using a 3-axis accelerometer that tracks directional movement. Some combine this with a gyroscope for monitoring orientation and rotation. The data is then converted into steps and activity from which calories burnt and sleep quality are calculated. If your tracker incorporates a heart-rate monitor, this works by using light sensors to measure the frequency at which your blood pumps as it flows through your wrist's capillaries. Bear in mind, this will not be as accurate as a medical ECG and should never replace proper health checkups.